Chemical electro-chemical systems



Oct. 5, 1965 T, LAKEN 3,209,733

CHEMI CAL ELEGTRO-CHEMICAL SYSTEMS Filed March 19, 1964 INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,209,733 CHEMICAL ELECTRO-CHEMICAL SYSTEMS Thomas H. Laken, 1011 53rd St., Kenosha, Wis. Filed Mar. 19, 1964, Ser. No. 353,131 3 Claims. (Cl. 122-504) This is. a continuation-in-part of application Serial No. 315,326, filed October 10, 1963.

This invention relates, in general, to certain new and useful improvements in chemical and/ or electro-chemical systems, or systems having like characteristics, and more particularly to a'safety device for automatically preventing. accidental return of damaging chemicals or corrosive liquids that may have been inadvertently included in the condensate being returned to a steam boiler. k Included. in tanks are chemical solutions of various inds. through the coils immersed in such solutions and mounted in the tanks. The steam passing through the coils will spend its heat in the solutions and, as condensate, return to. the. boiler to be reconverted again to steam. An always present danger lies in the possible failure of the coil, whereby the chemical solution may leak into the condensate; When this happens, the solution is directed to the boiler with the very pressing danger of permanent destruction of the boiler.

The object of my invention, therefore, is to install a safety device, which is an improvement of the chemical eleotr-o-chemi-cal systems of patent application, Serial Number 315,326, referred to above, in the line returning the condensate to the boiler with said device having a copper washer in combination with a zinc soluble disk wherein contact of such copper washer or metal having like characteristics with a contaminated condensate sets up a chemical reaction in connection with the zinc, or metal of like characteristics, disk whereby the zinc disk is rapidly dissolved so that the contaminated condensate will be diverted from returning to the boiler and, instead, directed to a drain.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter more specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown an embodiment of the invention but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications can be resorted to which fall within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings herein like reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic showing of chemical and/ or electro-chemical device, of my present invention, included therein.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view through the safety device, parts being broken away, to show the safety device in normal operating condition.

Referring in detail to the drawings, FIGURE 2 shows a T-shaped fitting, designated generally by the number 10. This fitting has a longitudinally extending, unrestricted passageway 11, with the internal surface 12 threaded at each end to have threaded connection with the conduits 13 and 14 of the condensate return line generally designated by numeral 15. The depending portion 16 of the fitting has a passageway 17 in direct communication with the passageway 11. This portion 16 has its end 19 open to provide drainage, as will be hereinafter described.

A shoulder 20 is formed internally near the top of the portion 16 adjacent the passageway 11. A copper washer 21a is first inserted through the opening 19 up to and bearing on the shoulder 20. The inside diameter of this washer is less than the passage 17 so that a considerable portion of the flat face 21b of the washer extends over These solutions are heated by steam passing.

3,209,733 Patented Oct. 5, 1965 the passage 17 and inward from said shoulder 20. A soluble zinc disk 21 is also inserted through the open end 19 and caused to bear against the washer 210. Both the washer and the disk have outside diameters slightly less than the diameter of the passage 17 so they can be readily inserted therein and held in operative relationship by. a hollow insert 23. This insert may be threadedly mounted, asshown herein, or through any other suitable manner. F or case in removal, the insert is notched at 24.

Considering now FIGURE 1 of the drawings which discloses a schematic chemical and/or electro-chemical. system for the automatic operation of this safety device, there is provided therein a "boiler 25, having: a conduit 26,.

through which steam is delivered to a coil 27, contained and immersed in chemical solutions contained in a tank 28. There are diiferent kinds of chemical solutions used in plating, alkaline or acid in nature. For the sake of illustration, herein, I use a solution of sulphuric acid. This is especially effective where I use the soluble zinc disk 21 and the copper washer as referred to above. The coil is in direct communication with the conduit 13 which delivers or returns the condensate after the steam has dis,- pensed its heat to the solution.

The conduit 13 is threaded to the fitting 10, as herebefore explained.

Under normal operating conditions with no fault in the system, the steam will pass through the conduit 26 into the coil 27 and as the steam condenses by the dispensing of its heat to the chemical solution in the tank, such con densate is returned to the boiler through the conduit 13, the passageway 11 in the T-shaped fitting and the conduit 14.

In rare instances, the coil 27 in the tank or the connections of the coil with the conduits 26 or 13 may break. When this occurs, the chemical solutions in the tank, the one of which I use herein, is sulphuric acid, for example, will mix with the condensate with said sulphuric acid mixed contaminated condensate flowing through the conduit 13 toward the boiler. If such sulphuric acid mixed contaminated condensate was permitted to reach the boiler, the corrosive damage to the boiler would be so severe as to permanently damage the boiler.

I provide, therefore, in the return condensate conduit, the T-fitting of my invention. When the sulphuric acid mixed contaminated condensate reaches the copper wash er, an immediate destruction reaction is set up between the copper washer and the zinc disk. This destructive reaction is electrolytic in effect and caused by combining the zinc disk with the copper washer and having the sulphuric acid contaminated condensate contacting the combination. When this occurs, the disk is dissolved and the sulphuric acid mixed contaminated condensate is discharged through the hollow insert instead of continuing to the boiler.

Protection is sought in the light of these explanations for basic features of the invention, in addition to protection for more specific illustrated and described features.

I claim:

1. The combination in a chemical and electro-chemical processing system having a steam boiler and a processing tank, a coil in said tank, means for transferring steam from said boiler to said coil, return means for transferring condensate from said coil to said boiler, a protective device in connection with said return means providing unrestrictive passageway to permit substantially uncontaminated condensate to return to said boiler, said device having a passageway open to a drain which is normally closed by a soluble metal disk; a copper washer, said washer being in contact with said disk, said disk dissolved upon introduction of contaminated substances into said condensate with said dissolving action being hastened by the action of the contaminated condensate on said washer through the contaminated material in said tank entering into a chemical reaction with the soluble disk and washer, whereby said contaminated condensate is directed through said hollow insert and diverted from returning to said boiler.

2. The combination in a chemical and electro-chemical processing system having a steam boiler and a processing tank, a coil in said tank, means for transferring steam from said boiler to said coil, and return means for transferring condensate from said coil to said boiler, a T- shaped protective device in connection with said return means providing unrestrictive passageway to permit substantially uncontaminated condensate to return to said boiler, said device having a passageway open to a drain which is normally closed by a soluble metal disk; a copper washer, said washer being in contact with said disk, said soluble disk and washer being of less diameter than said last named passageway and readily insertable therein, a hollow insert threadedly mounted in said passageway to hold said disk and washer in operative position, said disk adapted to be dissolved upon introduction of contaminated substance from said tank into said condensate with said dissolving action being hastened by the action of the contaminated condensate on said washer through the contaminated material in said tank entering into a chemical reaction with the soluble disk and washer, whereby said contaminated condensate is directed through said hollow insert and diverted from returning to said boiler.

3. The combination in a chemical and electro-chemical system having a steam boiler and a processing tank, a coil in said tank, means for transferring steam from said boiler to said coil, and return means for transferring condensate from said coil to said boiler, said return means comprising two sections of conduit separated by a T- shaped fitting in which an end of each of said conduits is threadedly mounted therein, said fitting having an unrestricted passageway in communication with said conduits to permit substantially uncontaminated condensate to return to said boiler, said fitting having a passageway open to a drain which is normally closed by a soluble metal disk; a copper washer, said washer being in contact with said disk, a shoulder provided in the wall of said last named passageway, said soluble disk and washer being of less diameter than said last named passageway and readily insertable therein, a hollow insert threadedly mounted in said last named passageway to hold said disk and washer' against said shoulder in operative position, said disk adapted to be dissolved upon introduction of contaminated substance from said tank into said condensate with said dissolving action being hastened by the action of the contaminated condensate on said washer through the contaminated material in said tank entering into a chemical reaction with the soluble disk and washer, whereby said contaminated condensate is directed through said hollow insert and diverted from returning to said boiler.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,347,202 4/44 Lindsay 13767 2,658,728 11/53 Evans 16511 X 2,911,988 11/59 Ravn 13767 2,991,793 7/61 Whitlock et a1 137-67 FREDERICK L. MATIESON, JR., Primary Examiner.

EDWARD J. MICHAEL, Examiner, 

1. THE COMBINATION IN A CHEMICAL AND ELECTRO-CHEMICAL PROCESSING SYSTEM HAVING A STEAM BOILER AND A PROCESSING TANK, A COIL IN SAID TANK, MEANS FOR TRANSFERRING STEAM FROM SAID BOILER TO SAID COIL, RETURN MEANS FOR TRANSFERRING CONDENSATE FROM SAID COIL TO SAID BOILER, A PROTECTIVE DEVICE IN CONNECTION WITH SAID RETURN MEANS PROVIDING UNRESTRICTIVE PASSAGEWAY TO PERMIT SUBSTANTIALLY UNCONTAMINATED CONDENSATE TO RETURN TO SAID BOILER, SAID DEVICE HAVING A PASSAGEWAY OPEN TO A DRAIN WHICH IS NORMALLY CLOSED BY A SOLUBLE METAL DISK; A COPPER WASHER, SAID WASHER BEING IN CONTACT WITH SAID DISK, SAID DISK DISSOLVED UPON INTRODUCTION OF CONTAMINATED SUBSTANCES INTO SAID CONDENSATE WITH SAID DISSOLVING ACTION BEING HASTENED BY THE ACTION OF THE CONTAMINATED CONDENSATE ON SAID WASHER THROUGH THE CONTAMINATED MATERIAL IN SAID TANK ENTERING INTO A CHEMICAL REACTION WITH THE SOLUBLE DISK AND WASHER, WHEREBY SAID CONTAMINATED CONDENSATE IS DIRECTED THROUGH SAID HOLLOW INSERT AND DIVERTED FROM RETURNING TO SID BOILER. 